Eastern Whipbird

The Eastern Whipbird is a slender, long-tailed songbird of eastern Australian forests, clothed in dark olive-green plumage with a blackish head and a small, shaggy crest, a white patch below the eye, and a long tail often held cocked. Though its plumage is relatively subdued, it is one of the most instantly recognisable birds of its habitat by voice alone.

Its extraordinary call, a long rising note followed by an explosive cracking 'whip' sound, is one of the most familiar and startling sounds of the wet forests of eastern Australia, and is often immediately followed by a two-note reply from the bird's mate, producing an antiphonal duet so tightly coordinated it can sound like a single bird.

Despite its loud voice, the Eastern Whipbird is a notoriously shy and skulking bird, spending almost all its time low in dense understorey vegetation, and can be extremely difficult to see well even when calling from close range.

Key field marks

• Dark olive-green body with a blackish head and small crest
• White patch below and behind the eye, on the cheek
• Long tail, often cocked, tipped white on the outer feathers
• Extremely distinctive whip-crack call, often followed by a two-note reply

Similar species

No other eastern Australian forest bird shares its combination of dark plumage, crest, and white cheek patch, and its unmistakable whip-crack call readily separates it from all other species even when it cannot be seen. The related Chirruping Wedgebill and other whipbirds occur in different, more arid habitats and do not overlap significantly with the Eastern Whipbird's wet forest range.

Habitat

Eastern Whipbirds favour the dense, shaded understorey of rainforest, wet eucalypt forest, and thick coastal scrub, particularly where there is a well-developed shrub layer and leaf litter.

Range

The species occurs along the east coast of Australia from far north Queensland south through New South Wales to eastern Victoria, generally within forested habitat close to the coast and ranges.

Migration

Eastern Whipbirds are sedentary, holding permanent territories within dense forest understorey year-round.

Behavior

This species is highly secretive, moving and foraging low in dense vegetation and on the ground, rarely venturing into the open, and pairs typically remain together on a shared territory throughout the year.

Voice

Its call is one of the most recognisable in Australian forests: a long, rising whistled note terminating in an explosive whip-crack, usually answered almost instantly by the mate with a sharp two-note 'choo-chweeoo', so tightly timed that the duet often sounds like a single call.

Feeding

It forages on and near the ground, flicking aside leaf litter to find insects, spiders, and other invertebrates, occasionally taking small fruit.

Nesting and breeding

The nest is a frail, shallow cup of twigs and bark built low in a dense shrub or vine tangle; the female performs most of the incubation, and pairs are often assisted by helpers from previous broods in raising young.